An analyzer for automatically analyzing human blood and the like, and a cartridge for automatic measurement used by being set in the analyzing apparatus have been proposed (JP 11-316226 A). This cartridge includes a reaction vessel for performing a reaction, and a plurality of storage vessels for which a reagent used for the reaction is filled. Furthermore, in order to cope with the difference in a dilution factor of a sample to be required depending upon an analyzing item, a cartridge provided with a diluting well for diluting a predetermined amount of a sample to a desired dilution factor has been proposed (International publication No. 01/84152).
When an analysis is performed using the above-mentioned automatic measuring device, pretreatment of a sample may be required depending upon an analyzing item. For example, in the case of measuring a virus antigen in the blood, usually, (1) the destruction of virus particles, (2) the exposure and extraction of a virus antigen, (3) the deactivation of an antibody to a virus antigen contained in a sample, and the like are required, and for these purposes, heat treatment is performed. The heat treatment is generally performed at a high temperature of 60° C. or higher. Therefore, in a conventional automatic measuring device having only a temperature controlling part suitable for an enzyme reaction and the like at about 37° C., pretreatment cannot be performed at a high temperature.
For the above reason, under present circumstances, it is necessary for the operator to perform heat treatment in advance to the sample using another heating device (heat block, etc.), and thereafter, the necessity of providing the sample to an automatic measuring device is needed, which takes a considerable amount of labor and time. Thus, such a procedure cannot be considered as complete automation even with the automatic measuring device. Furthermore, even when using an automatic measuring device capable of measuring a plurality of different items to be analyzed at the same time, an analyzing item requiring heat treatment needs to be handled separately, which results inconvenient.